PioSop06 Posted September 25, 2006 Share Posted September 25, 2006 So, all those of us have got to have some pretty good stories from parades, I assume, especially the Fourth of July. For one, during several of the parades, the snares would take random solos, and we changed up the formation every once an awhile. At one point, the hornline formed up into twos, and the battery marched up to the front. We also did pass-throughs and such while in twos, while playing, I had to duck under baris/euphs several times. Anyone else got some stories? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackstar Posted September 25, 2006 Share Posted September 25, 2006 Marching 3 miles behind the G-- Dam* Mummers b**bs :ramd: <**> I hate the mummers really hate the mummers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiodave Posted September 25, 2006 Share Posted September 25, 2006 (edited) When I was in my first corps, at 10 years old, it was tough for me to hold up my horn AND keep my elbows out. As we were marching down the street playing, I thought to myself-"get those elbows out Dave!" Just as I got 'em out there, a bird pooped on my right elbow. I had to march the rest of the parade with "it" there. Edited September 25, 2006 by audiodave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl306 Posted September 25, 2006 Share Posted September 25, 2006 (edited) In '04 we had to do a parade pretty early into everydays when some of the members were still in school and not present. To make up for the lack of hornline numbers we had at the time, all of the pit kids were put into uniform and given a horn to hold during the parade (we marched in the middle so that hopefully nobody could tell that we weren't actually playing). Did all the horn manuals and everything else that was going on around us. Luckily I was given a trumpet to hold, but some of my friends got stuck with baritones. It sucked... Edited September 25, 2006 by Carl306 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galen Posted September 25, 2006 Share Posted September 25, 2006 (edited) Milwaukee Circus Parade- 4 miles through the streets of downtown Milwaukee, directly behind every horse in the bloody state... Edited September 25, 2006 by Galen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmensop Posted September 25, 2006 Share Posted September 25, 2006 Fourth of July parade, 2001, as we approached the pass and review stands where we would perform a standstill, the block was stopped because the group in front of us was performing. It just so happened that we stopped in front of a group of about 25 incredibly drunk middle-aged men on a home-made set of bleachers for about 10 minutes. Well, being the obnoxious group of people they were, yelling 'Play something' like they always do, we decided to play. Dean had the hornline clump up into the smallest group possible, literally 3 feet away from their faces, and played our onfield warmup. Imagine 64 brass players within a 10-feet space playing FFFF volume for 45 seconds 3 feet in front of your face. It was nuts. The ground shook. They went nuts. Hoo-rah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phirefenix Posted September 25, 2006 Share Posted September 25, 2006 Warming up for my second parade of the day... Yes it was July 4th, we even had a concert AFTER both parades for the city. The clouds rolled in, and we started to feel rain. The parade was given the green light bewilderingly enough. As we lined up, and stepped off the sky opened up. I mean really dumped. The parade kept going, so staff took the cummerbunds, and plumes, and we kept marching. I sloshed through puddles ankle deep at 180 no less. The rain soaked the jackets, and made the sleeves feel like they weighed 10 pounds a piece. That was a fun day. For the concert that night we looked good, but felt horrible putting that cold damp uniform on again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted September 25, 2006 Share Posted September 25, 2006 Four words "Pottsville Mid Winter Carnival". :( Pottsville, PA (Home of Yuengling Beer) held a week long "Carnival" the end of January with a freaking parade the was done at the start of the week. That is unless it was too cold then the parade was held end of the week no matter what. Only parade I was ever at when my valve (valve/rotor) horn froze WHILE I was playing!! The valve would move one time and be totally stuck the next. You had to breathe (until you half hyperventalated) in the horn to thaw out the valve. Wihch only made things worst because it was the moisture in your breath that froze the valve. Other memory was seeing people inside their homes watching the parade thru the front window. Every now and then a door would open and someone would yell "Play something". One time someone snapped and yelled back "Turn on ####### (American) Bandstand if you want to hear music!". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84BDsop Posted September 25, 2006 Share Posted September 25, 2006 Imagine 64 brass players within a 10-feet space playing FFFF volume for 45 seconds 3 feet in front of your face. You say that like it's a BAD thing!!! SoCal Dream did teh same bit during the 06 Huntington Beach parade...'cept we only had 20+ horns...but we were loud! We'd usually aim at the person who said "Play something"...one time it was a lady probably in her 70s! Mwwwhhaaaa!! and here's a story from 03 that Regiment vets should remember....i know I do! 03 was the only year SoCal Dream did 2 paraded on July 4th. First one was Huntington Beach and included us, Impulse, and Regiment (we actually beat Regiment...go fig!). 2nd parade was Pacific Palisades. Our bus pulls up and finally finds a parking spot next to where Regiment's milling about...right next to the battery. Next to the battery is this horse (03 vets are probably remembering now!)...a filly....and she suddenly lets loose an absolute TORRENT of pee in regiment's direction. Several things happen at once...1) the rider sits on his horse looking like he's thinking "####...glad I'm up here" 2) Members of SCD -- who are still on the bus -- are busting up to the point where our sides are in great pain. 3) Yo have never seen a druk corps battery move so FAST to get away with their gear and brand new WHITE unis! After Regiment bails, the horse goes away....leaving a large amount of urine slowly evaporating on the sidewalk....then people start walking down, and they hadn't seen the horse! Every time someone walks through the pee, we bust up again....if someone has been barefoot, i really don't think we could've pulled it together to do the parade! And it didn;t stop there! on the way OUT, the bus got stuck in trsffic...we see off to one side an old man facing the bushes..."watering" them profusely. The kicker....not only was he whizzing in public....his body was facing downhill....facing oncoming traffic! he just stood there letting it fly (we're on the bus busting up again....oy, my sides!)...calmly packs himself away and walks off.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84BDsop Posted September 25, 2006 Share Posted September 25, 2006 Other memory was seeing people inside their homes watching the parade thru the front window. Every now and then a door would open and someone would yell "Play something". One time someone snapped and yelled back "Turn on ####### (American) Bandstand if you want to hear music!". Similar thing happened when I was in Air Force tech school...and for once I had the right reply at the right time. There was a sudent corps at Keesler AFB -- the Blue Knights. We'd done a Mardi Gras parade outside New Orleans and were waiting for our bus to pick us up to go back to the base. There were a few houses in the area, and from one of them a little girl came out and asked us to play something. now when it's a beered up adult during a parade you ignore it...but when it's a little girl probably 7 years old??? We immediately arced it up and played most of the music we knew...her parents were with her and just loving the private concert. We had a great time, too. After they'd gone inside, some of the guys from the base in Combat Control came nearby and did the usual ragging on us for being musicians. One guy grabbed his crotch and said "Hay man...blow on this!" My reply -- which made me the corps hero for the week -- "Sorry dude....I don't play the piccolo." one of my best moments in tech school! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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